Have you eaten?

Tuesday, June 06, 2017

As I am still suffering withdrawal symptoms after finishing Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, I turned back to Viki in the hopes of finding another C-drama that I can immerse myself in. Unfortunately their C-drama library does not include the most popular shows. I have enjoyed Nirvana in Fire, The Disguiser, When a Snail Falls in Love, Love Me If You Dare and Surgeons, but the other dramas do not sustain my interest. After cycling through a few of the recent offerings, the furthest I've watched is God of War, Zhao Yun.

I have long been a fan of the Three Kingdom stories. The translated book is not the most engaging work mainly because the style is dry and reads like a historical journal, but there is so much material inside that has been spunned off into movies and games. Heck, it's no secret that I was quite addicted to the MMO game Three Kingdoms Online up till about 5 years ago. Team Cao Cao, always, but my all-time favourite character is Zhao Zi Long, also known as Zhao Yun. His character was battling baddies while holding a baby long before Chow Yun Fatt was born. I like Zhao Yun so much that I actually spent money buying his cute little figurine.

This little guy measures about 3 inches. Sooo cute!

Anyway, the C-drama. I can't recommend it for plot, which is focusing on the early development of our hero and heavily romance-based, nor for it's production values which is mainly cheap-looking CGIs , choppy editing and terrible pacing. However, it spent quite a big chunk of budget on its photogenic cast.

Lin Geng Xin, above, plays Zhao Yun. I was very impressed with his 14th Son character in Scarlet Heart, because he looked very heroic in armour and he looked adorable even as he pouted and acted as an angry young man. As Zhao Yun though, his acting inadequacies seem more obvious, but maybe it's early days yet, he will probably be better once he evolves into battlegear-wearing hero.

The character that hooked me in though, was actually LvBv. Played by Godfrey Gao, hitherto unbeknownst to me, but I googled him and found out that he is a Taiwanese actor. Like Wallace Huo and Mark Chao, seems to me Taiwanese actors of good looks can find more success in mainland China. So, I was falling asleep trying to like this show about my favourite Three Kingdoms character, when suddenly this character burst on to my screen. Such a resplendent figure! I have never seen, and I have been watching costume dramas for many decades now, such a splendid costume before. Gold plated scaled armour with winged shoulderpads, scarlet robe, purple floral sash, winged coronet complete with that red woolly bobble that vibrates with every step. His costumes are all like this, magnificient, unapologetically OTT. Being tall and muscular, he wears them well, on most other pretty-boy actors it would be too overwhelming. Then I also noticed that he is also quite handsome, and I found my reason to continue watching this drama. LvBv as a character should be a fun challenge to play and watch-he has strong fighting attributes and almost impossible to defeat, also self-serving and cunning, and terribly vain.- so i will stick around for a while. Diao Chan is played by a cookie-cutter guniang actress, very dull, so he gets all the limelight whenever they are together.

Despite the failings of this drama, i.e. poor plot, poor production etc, it is enjoying rather good success. One reason is that the cast also includes a popular Korean actor ( poor guy, he can't measure up to Lin Geng Xin or Godfrey Gao in terms of looks, talents or charisma, so I can't be bothered to look up his wiki) and this pretty young actress / singer Yoona who is apparently hugely popular. Certainly most of the adoring comments are for her alone. She plays a sassy character, quite watchable.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

We were rained-out in Shanghai one day and decided to seek refuge in a random mall, which turned out to be Reel. Having not made any plans for dinner, we decided to try QiMin (you can't really miss their huge banner) and were very happily surprised. Till today, husband is still reminiscing about his meal, and if they open in Singapore, we will go in a heartbeat. Some reasons why:

Quality ingredients. Besides the rather huge menu, there is an attached marketplace for you to buy produce and cook at your table (or bring home), the range is wide and exotic, super-fresh, seasonal and mostly organic. Some items can even be harvested before you cook it yourself, e.g. sprouts, greens and mushrooms on a tree bark, so emphasizing its "farm-to-table" concept. I loved the grass-fed Mongolian beef, which was superlean, cooks up in a flash to deeply flavourful bites. Some ingredients, e.g. the live river prawns, run out fast, which means the turnover is high, which is a good thing.

DIY condiment bar that is always kept well-stocked. Because when I eat hot pot, I also eat mountains of scallions and coriander.

The setting is modern, with flattering yet functional lighting, not too noisy either. Service was very attentive. All these makes for a convivial atmosphere for get-togethers and relaxation. The restaurant even runs mini-games during service, winners get free beers and more food. In picture above,the three girls look delighted to have won a seafood bowl.

It's not too expensive for what it is. Certainly it was cheaper than what we fork out for Hai Di Lao in Singapore.

I think the company is Taiwanese, so if you are in Taiwan you can try it too.

Monday, May 29, 2017

After Elder Sister Xu lent him her Immortal’s Cave, it had a fear-inspiring effect on everyone, allowing Meng Hao to leave the square with the Spirit Stone and Spirit Condensation pills. Everyone watched him as he left.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Ever the slow developer, this method only came to my mind a couple of days ago, and probably there are experts out there who have long figured it out. If you didn't know how before, please read on.

Two days ago, I asked my helper to check if there are lala (clams) when she makes her weekly trip to the wet market. Husband and V loves clams, and we usually just stir-fry with garlic and chilli. Whatever method is used to cook clams, there is usually a lot of jus, rich and dense with seafood flavours and whatever aromatics you pair it with. This holds true for mussels as well, which is why the Belgians pair it with fries...Anyway, I had a sudden thought to add cabbage and beehoon to the clams, and voila!

The principle of cooking clams and mussels are simple: Before cooking, discard the open ones and cook only the closed ones. The clams will open up during cooking, discard those clams that remain closed. I strongly advise cooking them the same day they are bought. As usual with stir-fry method, make sure all ingredients are on hand, and work quickly. This is a super-quick recipe.

All you need are

chopped garlic- as much as you like, the more the merrier

chopped chilli (optional)

chopped ginger (optional too)- about a teaspoon

clams - we used 2kg for 4 people, more than plenty. Clean very well.

sliced cabbage

beehoon- blanched

Method:

Sizzle the aromatics until fragrant. Crank up the heat to max, and throw in all the clams. Stir. Add cabbage.

Cover and let cook. When clams are 50% open/cooked, splash in more hot water if you like it soupy, which we do, so we add about a cup.

When clams are 90% cooked, about 12-15 minutes from start of cooking, making sure the broth is bubbling hot, add the blanched beehoon. Stir to mix, be gentle otherwise the strands will break. Serve.

This is the kind of "wow" dish you can replicate at home, but it's not that extravagant that you have to keep it for special occasions. The clams cost $12 for 2 kg, you can do the math and count the savings. If you add other seafood, you get white beehoon. Of course, it is a bit more complicated than that, but it's not a huge mystery. The basis of all seafood beehoon dishes is the stock, you can play with variations of seafood, shellfish, fish and bones especially dried tikpoh (sole fish), a bit of chicken, maybe some lard or even bacon, but it's clam broth that is the foundation. A little bit goes a long way. Cabbage adds a complimentary sweetness, you can use spring onions too. Hope you will enjoy as much as we did! xoxo

Thursday, May 25, 2017

I have been curious about Benson Salted Duck for some time, but have not had a chance to try it out yet.A few mornings ago, Husband and I found ourselves a little pocket of time for a lunch date so we headed to Toa Payoh. Benson Salted Duck is a stall in a coffeshop in Blk 168, Toa Payoh Lor 1. MsTamchiak and other food writers have written about his innovative new dish that is salted duck, please refer to them for more information. We just wanted to know if it was delicious.

The default option is Salted Duck Rice ($3), I added braised tau-kwa to my order. The rice, a lighter version of chicken rice, was delicious and loose-grained, good to eat on its own.

The duck meat was a revelation. I got breast meat, which was drier than I expected, but it was nicely chewy and flavourful in a surprisingly subtle way. We have been used to the strong, ducky or gamey tastes that is accentuated with roasting and braising, this was a welcome innovation. The salt is not too forward either, you know it's salted, but it is not salty. The best thing though, had to the skin. The cooking process had seemed to firm up the fats under the skin, so that it was jelly like, similar to dongbo-rou, i.e. impossible to resist; to me, it was the best part.

I also love the julienned cucumber that the meat sits on. Some hawker stalls have stopped serving chicken rice or roast meat rice with sliced cucumber, Benson have gone the opposite way and I really appreciate the extra effort, it completes the dish for me. The chilli sauce was sour, spicy and garlicky, in perfect equilibrium, still, not advisable to eat the sauce if you have an important meeting after, the garlic was added in reckless quantities.

The signboard. You can't miss it, the stall is smack in the middle of the shop.

The meat portion was adequate, but I wanted more, so I ordered a drumstick. Ooo, it is much better than the breast, more juicy, more ideal balance of fats and meat. In my younger days, I would always choose dark meat over breast meat, but these days I prefer breast meat which seems to me have a cleaner taste profile, so I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.

Husband had the pig organ soup with fish maws. This was $5. See how much piggy parts and fish maw are inside? Bargain.

Monday, May 22, 2017

The basement carpark of Takashimaya S.C. was already full by 11.30 a.m. Sunday. Husband considered himself lucky to secure a lot after circling the place once, even though it was at the far end of our usual preferred place. Upon getting off the escalator at Level B2, he spotted the new Sunny Hills store, which has moved from Raffles Hotel as the hotel is undergoing renovations.

Small and discreet, the store can be easily missed if you approach it from certain directions. There is a small table for a sip of tea. They don't give out complimentary pineapple cakes for every visitor anymore, but we got one when we purchased a box. They are also selling paletas ($4), which are fruity ice lollies, made with Sunny Hills own pineapple juice by a local maker. V and I loved he Pineapple Lychee that we tried, the lollies tasted like they blended a can of lychees with pineapple juice, not too watery so it didn't melt quickly, and not too sugary that you get sticky juice everywhere. A burst of refreshing treat just right for the hot weather.

Friday, May 19, 2017

This is a quick shoutout for online grocer Open Taste. I saw their advertisement on Facebook and decided to try them out about a year ago and we now love it, and make an order about every 7-10 days. Their website informs that they work directly with farmers, cutting out the middlemen, which means we get the products quickly and they can pass on savings to customers.

Their range of produce is reasonably wide, mostly fruits and vegetables, with a small but good selection of dairy and meat items. Produce comes mainly from Japan, Australia and USA. Not everything is organic, but we get some sense of security from knowing the names of the farms and producers. I mostly ignore the items that come from Malaysia as we are able to find that in our wet markets. I've been able to score thick, fat bunches of organic celery for $5 a couple of times, as well as apples, cucumbers, cauliflowers and kales. Some items are available by bulk, once I bought 3 bunches of organic California- grown kale for $16.50 and was surprised to see that each bunch was as big as a Valentine bouquet. I had to share some with my upstairs neighbour. From Japan, we have enjoyed the most delicious persimmons when in season, also tiny little-finger-sized Okinawan okras that were tender and sweet after just a brief scald, and pumpkins that roasts into tender, honeyed pillows. Occasionally there are treats, like full-cream Browne's milk from WA for about $0.01 per per litre. Yep, 1 cent milk! I bought some today.

Delivery is free for orders above $40. Easy target to hit. However, if you add any Bulk item to your order, the total order has to be above $150, which can be frustrating. At checkout, they will compute how much you save; this always thrills me, the savings can run from 37%-50+%. Delivery is usually within 2 days. The final amount is charged only after they pack, because sometimes they run of items.

Another thing to watch out for is they pack all the items in a green insulated bag, but this bag is chargeable at $4.99 if you don't return within 30 days. Everyone at home is well-trained to immediately return the bag to the delivery man.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

It's six months after The Coconut Club opened, and we ventured to try it out. The hype has not abated as evidenced by the long lines waiting to get in last Saturday afternoon. Like them, we were sucked in by the force of their PR spin, even though I am sure some eyeballs must have rolled after reading about single origin coconuts and aged rice. We live in FOMO so we decided to try in case it is really as good as it claims.

Inside, the decor is yawningly hipster: exposed brick walls, suspended industrial lights, tiny tables, under-utilised but space-hogging central table, enamel kitchenware accessories. It was very noisy from all the hard surfaces and background music turned on to full-blast. The menu is brief,- essentially nasi lemak and cendol. We ordered the nasi lemak with fixings ($12.80), shared a piece of otak ($8.50) and a bowl of cendol ($3.80). Service staff were a bit frazzled but very responsive.

The cendol came first. The coconut milk and gula melaka mixture was rich and fragrant, and not too sweet. The cendol strips were delicious, it's not the luminous green plastic-icky jelly type but the genuine article made from rice flour jelly. Unfortunately, because the chendol was probably hand-made and therefore "precious", they put only a tiny bit in the bowl. I am sure I received less than 20 strands, which was pretty anti-climactic.

Let's break down the nasi lemak:

Nasi: Grains separate and loose, check. Fragrant, yes, not the typical aroma that assails your senses (not that that is a bad thing, it's just different) but a subtler scent with a long finish. Pretty good. Unfortunately there wasn't much of it, not enough for husband, so he asked for more. They didn't charge him for the extra rice, am not sure if they overlooked it. Alas, the second batch had distinct clumps of raw rice. Raw rice, in my books, it's unforgiveable.

Peanuts: well-fried and salted judiciously.

Ikan Bilis: Fail. The portion is generous, too bad the quality is poor. The fish were very hard and salty, really no better than snacks that bars serve with alcoholic drinks.

Fried egg: Greasy from its turn in oil that is probably a bit too cold. Nasi lemak fried eggs really need to have curly brown edges, these were quite forlorn. They placed my egg off- centre, so when I moved it to cover my rice, the yolk burst. Don't you hate that when it happens?

Sambal: I liked it, perfectly balanced between heat and sweetness.

Cucumber: Sweet and crunchy.

Chicken: The ginger bits were delicious and gave off a pleasant warmth. The chicken comes in two big pieces, very juicy. Did they brine it too? I think it's too much meat, I couldn't finish the chicken, but ate up the skin and crusty ginger bits.

Otak- Otak: The texture was appealingly soft and they used a good firm fish. Tasty.

Overall, we were quite underwhelmed, there were definitely no "wow" moments. They may have taken care to source some special ingredients but it didn't quite make up for the other deficiencies. The problems are not insurmountable, just plenty of room for improvement.

As for the price, I don't find it objectionable. Singaporeans happily pay $20 for ramen and $35 for pizzas so $12.80 is not outrageous for the nasi lemak here. With a higher than usual price tag though, expectations are built in for a proportionately better experience, which they have clearly failed to deliver.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Whenever I see $20 plastic packs of granola in the shops, my heart weeps a little. They are so expensive and yet the contents are probably quite dusty and stale. It is super easy to make, even my husband and daughter can do it.

We started with a recipe from Joy of Baking. There's even a video tutorial. Over the years we have made it so often it is the only recipe that is permanently posted on the fridge door in the kitchen.

This was the second version, the first had to be discarded because the ink faded.

This is the third and latest iteration, because husband didn't like the imprecise instructions of the second version.

Husband likes to use Silpat. Our helper uses a cookie sheet. She oils the pan a little before pouring out the mix.

Everything in the recipe is customisable. We prefer our nuts chopped up so every bite has a bit of everything. Over the years we have experimented with different sweetening agents and fats, our favourite is still ricebran oil with maple syrup as the glue that holds it all together. Agave syrup was sweet but lacked the toasty notes of maple. Honey burnt easily. Chopped gula melaka was nice but a bit hard to control, and it is not as sweet as maple. Dried fruit is optional, I like raisins but am the only one who does, so more often than not, it gets left out. As we always have goji berries in the fridge, sometimes those get tossed in too. Most of the time, we don't add fruits. Coconut flakes and chocolate are also good additions but my peculiar family prefers not to have them.

It is delicious eaten out of hand, or as a topping for porridge, yoghurt, ice creams, fruit salads etc. We like to carry them on our travels, it ensures we have something healthy for breakfast. They make excellent gifts, although for older relatives you can anticipate their refrain of "it's a bit sweet" so we cut the syrup down by at least 30%. Joy says they last a month, we never had to test this limit.

I buy my dried nuts and seeds from Ah Pau Chop in the Victoria Wholesale Centre, which is now located in Kallang. They also freeze well so you can buy more than you need and make small batches. Maple syrup is expensive, can't really skimp on them, but sometimes Cold Storage or NTUC Finest may have a bit of discount. You can choose to use organic oats if you like, they are not that much dearer than non-organic versions. Even if you use all-organic ingredients, you will still save money over the commercial versions. So there is no reason to ever buy commercial granola anymore, ok? xoxo

Monday, May 15, 2017

I am in the middle of binge-ing on this epic C-drama and am so in love with the show. In case you don't know, and it's conceivable that you don't, because it is a mainland Chinese drama and you can only watch the English sub-titled version on DramaFever which is not available in Singapore. I can't speak more than survival Mandarin and dramas like these have long complicated dialogue so I was waiting a long time for it to to be available on my Viki subscription, but it doesn't seem likely now. Finally, I turned to PPTV and reconciled each episode with its corresponding online re-caps. You know a drama is really popular when fans blog the episodes on an episode-by-episode basis. It was also how I managed to watch other epic series like Nirvana in Fire and The Disguiser during the early days of their release.

Eternal Love, also known as Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, adapted from a book "Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom" -some also call it 3310 because of the book title- is a highly popular, as in a mind -boggling 35 bil views online (apparently), TV series in China. There's also a movie but I have not seen it. The wiki page has more information.

Why do I love this so much?

The storyline. It's got star-crossed lovers that you can root for. The main couple is so ship-able. "ship", in case you don't know, is slang for rooting for couples. There are some secondary couples who deserves some shipping too, especially between Yan Zhi and Zi Lan, quite heartbreaking.

The plot is crazy. We have been conditioned by years of K-drama to expect twists and turns, but this is the ultimate rollercoaster ride. The lead actor plays 2 characters, the lead actress takes care of 3! The genre is fantasy ne plus, it's set in the celestial world of gods and fairies who are strong, invincible, gifted with amazing powers, yet they have human failings, so relatable.

The lead actor, Mark Chao, is swoon-worthy. He is very tall, with impossibly straight and long noseline and noble face. His character is classic hero, brooding with intense screen presence and superb timing. He only has one great love, whom he pursues with persistence, perseverance and sacrifice. I can imagine viewers drinking in the way he looks at his lover, it's terribly romantic. Be still, my beating heart.

The lead actress,Yang Mi, she is very likeable too. Certainly she is beautiful, with fine features and eyes as big as swimming pools, and because she plays 3 characters, she has 3 chances of clicking with viewers. I like all 3 of her characters, but Susu was a bit bland comparatively. She rocks as Bai Qian though, a woman who knows how to take charge.

The production quality is tops. Every scene is meticulously designed, the props and setting are on-point, down to the minutest of details, even the weights that holds down the corners of rugs in the rooms have a tactile, organic feel. I remember getting hooked on Nirvana in Fire because in the first couple of episodes, there was an outdoor scene; the pavements looked like real ancient bamboo trails and the stones of the wall had the most perfect moss and grime, that was when I told husband that the series was worth watching. The palace sets for Ye Hua, Su Jin, Dong Hua and Susu are all different and very lavish. The peach blossom garden is not that realistic, but it's dead romantic anyway. I love how the characters save time when travelling by disappearing or appearing in puffs of smoke.

The costumes are dreamy. Mark Chao changes into at least 10 costumes, all black, all gorgeous. Every character is dressed beautifully, even the villains and minor characters. They must have used up yards and yards of fabric for just the serving girls alone. It's a never-ending feast for the eyes, all the pale silks, the muted shades of brocade, the drape of heavy silks, extravagant accessories.

Many funny moments. No chance to be bored, the plot moves along at a good pace.

Bai Qian character is 140,000 years old, while Ye Hua character is 90,000 years younger. Bai Qian, as Queen of the Fox faction, is a "shang-sen" literally High Goddess, i.e. she is the same rank and class as Ye Hua. She can kick ass just like him. A heroine character that is not helpless or baby, or need to marry up, very modern. I love the scene where she put Su Jin in her place, so fierce and yet so classy.

There's not much food in the stories, fairies don't need to eat, but there is a lotus hand. Mark Chao apparently got teased online for that. We can always feast our eyes on his character Ye Hua instead.